It’s official: Marc Savard is done for the season and playoffs with concussion

Bruins fans’ worst fears were confirmed today when GM Peter Chiarelli and team physician Dr. Peter Asnis announced today that star center Marc Savard would miss the remainder of the regular season as well as the playoffs thanks to the concussion he suffered two weeks ago against Colorado.

A sad and scared-looking Savard spoke with reporters today at a press conference in Boston to discuss his latest situation and it’s eerily similar to what he dealt with last March after his concussion against the Penguins thanks to Matt Cooke‘s disgusting blow to the head.

“Still some headaches off and on,” said Savard, who appeared pale, tired, and withdrawn during a 23-minute press conference at TD Garden. “I think the thing that scares me the most are little memory things, where I forget that I’ve asked someone a question, or little things like that that scare me. The odd dizzy stuff, so that’s also something that worries me.”

Savard went on to say that he blacked out briefly after the hit he took from Matt Hunwick that put him on the shelf for the year but he doesn’t hold anything against Hunwick for the hit. Savard says he’s heard from Hunwick a couple of times since the hit and he’s apologized for what happened. As for what Savard will do now, he says he’ll spend more time with his family at home now and travel from there to Boston to keep up with the team and get treatment. For now, rest and no stress is what Savard will be doing to try and alleviate his concussion symptoms.

The Bruins are placing Savard on long-term injured reserve which gives the B’s salary cap relief for the amount of Savard’s contract meaning they can add just over $4 million more in salary to get someone to fill out their ranks. Whether or not the Bruins will make adding another forward a priority over addressing their defensive woes remains to be seen, but Chiarelli knows that finding someone of Savard’s capability will be nearly impossible to do.

For now, youngster Zach Hamill will get a chance to play some with the Bruins and try to keep things going positively with the big club. He’s got big shoes to try and fill and if things don’t go well there, the pressure will be amped up on Chiarelli to make a move to help the Bruins down the stretch.